Pacific Northwest Travel Planning

Hire a seasoned local to help you find the remarkable.

Overwhelmed by all the options, but wanting to create excellent memories and connections? Pacific Northwest Travel Planning is easier with a local travel expert who’s already done the investigating.

Travel Planning that helps you experience the Pacific Northwest with purpose and meaning.

A lifetime of wandering about Oregon and Washington State gives me powerful practical wisdom to share about travel. And you receive the bonus of my unique mystic connection to the land. I can show you how and where to deepen in nature.

Keep reading if you’re visiting the Pacific Northwest for the first time, or first time to new regions in Oregon and Washington. I have loads of resources to help you make sense of all the information coming at you.
This is also helpful for planning road trips, especially in time-tricky Oregon Coast and Olympic Peninsula areas.
Are you already a local, but hosting out-of-towners and wanting assistance putting together some plans? I can help.

Email Support

$30

Pacific Northwest travel planning.
Exchange three messages with me.
Run your itinerary by me for advice.

Let’s get planning

1hr Zoom Travel Planning

$120

Let’s discuss your wants and ideas.
Leave the call with a clear plan.
Two follow-up email correspondences.

Let’s get planning

Matthew Kessi stands for a selfie in front of the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park on a trip from Seattle. He's smiling and wearing a gray puffy coat and plaid brown shirt while the yellow stripe of the pavement glides by in the background. A wooden sign swings above him saying "Mt. Rainier National Park." This is one of the experiences he suggests when travel planning in the Pacific Northwest.

Why should you listen to Matthew Kessi (that’s me)?

The Pacific Northwest is my lifelong playground. I’ve been around.
As a 25-year travel industry professional, my experience guiding people around Oregon and Washington State gives me valuable insight into the right balance between what is possible and rewarding.
Unlike big travel websites, I’ve been to all the places, tested the ideas, eaten the food, filmed, and taken photos. Unless specified, I don’t receive compensation for naming specific locations — my recommendations come from the heart.
I’m a practical mystic, which means I actively integrate spiritual sensitivities and meaningful applications in daily life. I can help you find more rewarding experiences grounded in nature — and you can be more present to yourself, your companions, and all the wonders of travel. In another article, “Six steps to deepen your nature connection, “ I write about the fundamentals to do this.

A wooden bridge crosses a babbling creek at the gateway to Mt. Rainier National Park. Tree branches lined with green moss hang over the water with a variety of rainforest plants thriving in this scene of effortless nature connection.

How to quiet your mind, keep present for self-awareness, and make the future your good friend.

Although I love helping people plan their travel (and I love planning my adventures too), there’s much more to my passion for connecting people to Nature’s Power.

After you book your travel planning session with me, consider some of my other offerings, including Forest Bathing and Spiritual Coaching, listed at the end of this article.

Want to understand my vibe in person? Join me with this YouTube-guided Nature Connection.

My videos are 20-minute guided experiences that take in the beauty of the Natural World, mostly in the Pacific Northwest. There is usually a theme of some kind folded into the Nature Connection — in this case, “How to find resilience in a field of Skagit Valley Daffodils.” This is an opportunity to practice quieting your mind, staying present to Nature, and making the future your friend. Part meditation, part contemplation, part magic, this is great practice for your upcoming adventure in the Pacific Northwest! Enjoy the daffodils here, and look for others filmed on Mt. Rainier, Deception Pass State Park, Olympic Peninsula and more.

Why you want Travel Planning Email Support.

You’ve got your ideas together for travel in the Pacific Northwest, and want help fine-tuning.
You want to make sure you’re not missing any key details.
No hassle with time zone differences, it’s easy to email back and forth with me. Get a response within 24 hours (usually sooner).
Quick last-minute questions.
At $30, this is an economical way to access local expertise.

The foamy saltwater of the Salish Sea washes onto shore near Whidbey Island. The Olympic Mountains rise up in the distance among mysterious clouds.

How does Email Support work?

Once you submit payment, I’ll send you an introduction message (which doesn’t count as one of the three emails). You can then respond with your itinerary, questions, and the best way I can help you in our correspondence. From here we keep flowing with three exchanges of exciting travel planning.

I want $30 Email Support

Getting in a ferry ride is essential to planning any travel to the Pacific Northwest. Here, we see a green and white Washington State Ferry as viewed from Alki Beach in West Seattle. The sky is blue and the Olympic Mountains are seen in the background. People walk on the beach in the foreground around dark green kelp and seagulls.

A shiny silver binocular is attached to a wall looking over to the flat sands of Nye Beach in Newport, Oregon. The waves are churning in the surf with a gray sky above. The Oregon Coast is a crowd pleaser when travel planning in the pacific northwest.

Why you want a Zoom Travel Planning Session.

First time visiting the Pacific Northwest, or a new part of Oregon & Washington.
Complicated itinerary planning.
Great for tricky Oregon Coast and Olympic Peninsula road trips.
Discuss the best ways to fit Mt. Rainier into your itinerary.
You want to save time weaving through all the information available.
You want to save money by creating a thoughtful experience that meets your needs.
You’ll leave our call with a clear plan forward. And I’ll be there to support you with two more email exchanges.

Exploring tide pools like this one is a great activity to work into your travel planning in the Pacific Northwest. Here you can notice sea stars and anenomes clinging to rocks under clear salt water.

How does a Zoom Travel Planning session work?

Once you submit payment, I’ll send you an introduction message. You’ll get back to me with three possible days/times to set up our call. I’ll provide a Zoom link for our one-hour session. It works best if you can send me an overview of your wants, ideas so far, and other pertinent information. After our Zoom call, you’ll receive a recap with your itinerary and helpful links for easy planning.

sign me up for $120 zoom session

But wait, there’s more!

You always have access to my expansive library of resources to help you navigate the Pacific Northwest in a meaningful way. Here are a few of the most popular articles on this site:

Travel Logistics:

Lodging resources:

The bright red leaves of a plant in the middle of a forest pull attention from yellowish green moss and other green leafy plants.

Follow my YouTube Channel.

My growing collection of 20-minute guided Nature Connections gives you access to the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest before you start your adventure. An accessible balance between meditation, contemplation, and Nature’s magic, this is a great chance to quiet your mind and practice slowing down with the Great Outdoors.

take me to the youtube channel

A view of the Tatoosh Range from Paradise on Mount Rainier as seen from a Travel Planning session for the Pacific Northwest. The glow of sunset beams across ground foliage with fall colors, dusted with a bit of snow under a blue sky.

Email Support

$30

Pacific Northwest travel planning.
Exchange three messages with me.
Run your itinerary by me for advice.

Let’s get planning

1hr Zoom Travel Planning

$120

Let’s discuss your wants and ideas.
Leave the call with a clear plan.
Two follow-up email correspondences.

Let’s get planning

Join me for transformational experiences in your own wild Nature.

Although I love helping people plan their travel (and I love planning my adventures too), there’s much more to my passion for connecting people to Nature’s Power.

For years, I have dedicated my life to guiding others into the Natural World, facilitating immersive nature retreats, leading forest bathing therapy sessions, and teaching mindfulness practices. Additionally, I bring 25 years of experience as an airline leader, where I nurtured new talent and empowered colleagues to unlock their potential.

My Spiritual Coaching process combines my lifelong mystic gifts with proven nature connection techniques, allowing individuals to explore their deepest selves. This holistic approach will enable you to tap into your fullest potential.

Amid life’s hustle, a powerful call for transformation awaits. Together, we will uncover the wild nature within you and explore the profound possibilities that lie ahead.